October 27, 2021 by Spencer Pomoty

Behind an incredible 13 points in five games from captain Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers have started the 2021-22 campaign undefeated in October. A few notable standouts have caught my eye so far. In particular, the emergence of Evan Bouchard this early, the third line providing strong results, the Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci pairing starting off well, and the Mike Smith-Mikko Koskinen tandem in goal.

Bouchard has played 34:52 with Darnell Nurse at five-on-five, and the duo has produced excellent numbers. Per naturalstattrick.com, the duo has 60% or above in every category except their Corsi, which is at 56%. Now, the Oilers haven’t played any of the bigger dogs yet (the Vegas Golden Knights would have been a tougher outing if healthy), but this is a great sign. Bouchard provides more of a two-way game than Tyson Barrie, and I personally believe that’s needed beside Nurse. In my opinion, Edmonton’s first real test will come against the Boston Bruins on November 11. If Nurse and Bouchard are still together at that time, I wonder how they fair against an opponent of that calibre.

The trio of Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan and Zack Kassian have been the team’s second most consistent line so far. It’s likely the best third line the Oilers have had since 2005-06. When those three are on the ice together, they have posted above 50% in every analytical category, they are winning their shifts and posting great box score results as well. This line will be crucial throughout the year. If the top-six goes into a scoring slump, it’s helps to have a third line that can provide some offence. Kassian looks like he’s track for a big bounce back year, but the straw that stirs the drink for the line is newly acquired Foegele. His speed, size, skill, and relentless effort creates a ton of offence for the line. If they can continue to play like this, that will make the Oilers even more deadly.

Despite a 5-0-0 start, the Oilers have had some hiccups. Still, I have been impressed with the Keith and Ceci on the blueline. Keith still has his puck skills, even if his legs aren’t what they used to be. The 38-year-old has been beaten off the rush a few time, and you would want a him to be a bit better defensively if he’s not putting up a ton of points. As for Ceci, he is very limited in what he can do with the puck, but defensively he has started the year off strong. He reminds me a bit of Adam Larsson in what he can provide your team in his own zone, but lacks that puck moving ability. Ceci has also been a great penalty killer to start as well. Just like the third line, the Oilers need this pair to do some heavy lifting.

Smith, who has become an ageless wonder, was excellent before his unfortunate leg injury on October 19. Smith could be ready to return as early as Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers plan to be a two-goalie team, so they need Smith and Koskinen to each play well for this team to succeed. Koskinen has been fantastic since Smith was hurt. With proper rest, Koskinen should be able to give the team at least above average goaltending.

I’m intrigued to see how long the Oilers can continue this run for. They have given up more shots than I would like to see, but I believe some of that is due to score effects, as the Oilers haven’t been trailed often this year. One player I will be keeping a close eye on is Kailer Yamamoto. He has looked better beside Draisaitl, but with Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman, he wasn’t nearly as effective. Puljujarvi has also continued to grow into a top-six forward. The 23-year-old does so many little things right that impact the game. The Oilers look like real contenders for the President’s Trophy early on, but it’s not about the regular season anymore. This team has greater expectations, and that’s to make a deep run in the playoffs.